Shotlist

COVERS THE LIFE CYCLE & HABITS OF THE ANT & EFFECTIVE METHODS OF CONTROL & EXTERMINATION WITH INSECTICIDES.
Ken Smith sez: This film tells us that ants are "a pest to man" and then shows us how to "treat" them with Chlordane. Some treat. We see a woman spreading Chlordane around a kitchen, and a man spreading it around a basement and an outdoor barbecue (yum). As this film ends, we are assured that the man will return to his barbecue "without fear that ants will spoil his fun." The film's beginning shows closeups of ants as high-pitched voices shouting "We're hungry! We're hungry" are heard on the soundtrack.

Reviews

A companion piece to Goodbye, Mr. Roach, Goodbye, Mrs. Ant examines the various members of the ant world and how they work together to thwart mankind's outdoor recreational activities. While the film depicts the insects primarily as regrettable pests, there is a considerable amount of time devoted to persuading viewers to appreciate just how intelligent the ants are in their daily activities. There are plenty of nice scenes of the ants, including fascinating footage revealing how they maintain herds of honeydew-producing aphids in order to supplement their existing food supply. After these details are provided, however, the focus shifts to the pesticide Chlordane and its various forms and methods of application to certain areas in and out of the household. When one considers that the toxic properties of Chlordane were not well known at the time, it is rather uncomfortable to watch the people in the film spread the agent over nearly every place in their homes.

Voiced with about as much restrained contempt the narrator might have for a nest full of Communists in the back yard, this is actually a well documented analysis of generic ant life cycles (with the assumption, of course, that all ants hate us and want us dead). The ending is particularly amusing -- in order to have the sanctity of their backyard barbeque pit back, the family sprays insecticide liberally around the cooking area. There should have been a follow up film on the dangers of insecticides too close to food preparing areas...

A bizarre film which treats us to the fascinating world of ants, how much of a hard worker they are, and how we have to use as much pesticide as possible to kill them all. Although made by the same company which made "Goodbye Mr Cockroach" this isn't as disgusting. Love the invasion of the barbecue party. Reccomended!